Final Judges
Welcome our esteemed panel for the 2024 Heath Ledger Scholarship Final Judges, who will select a recipient from five finalists!
SARAH SNOOK
A natural talent with a striking presence on screen and on-stage, award-winning actress Sarah Snook continues to establish herself as one of Hollywood’s most dynamic performers.
Sarah was most recently seen on-stage at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket on The West End in award-winning play THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. For her enthralling performance, Snook garnered an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play. It was just announced that the play will debut on Broadway for a season in the spring of 2025.
Notably, Snook was seen in the final season of the HBO award-winning series SUCCESSION. For her portrayal of ‘Shiv Roy’ over the past four seasons she has received an Emmy, two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics Choice Awards. The series has also received critical acclaim, including three Golden Globe Awards, two Critics Choice Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Last year, Sarah starred in the Sundance thriller RUN RABBIT RUN which was acquired and distributed by Netflix. She also co-starred in the Apple Original Films THE BEANIE BUBBLE alongside Elizabeth Banks and Zach Galifianakis.
On the big screen, Sarah co-starred in Danny Boyle’s STEVE JOBS alongside Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet. Written by Aaron Sorkin, the biographical drama premiered to critical acclaim at the 2015 Telluride Film Festival and later went on to receive two Oscar nominations. Sarah delivered her most notable film performance as the complex lead “Jane/John” alongside Ethan Hawke in the science-fiction thriller PREDESTINATION, for which she received the AACTA Award and the Film Critics Circle of Australia award for Best Actress. In 2021, Sarah had a supporting role in Kornél Mundruczó’s PIECES OF A WOMAN alongside Vanessa Kirby. The Academy Award nominated film first premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival in competition and also screened at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Other film credits include AN AMERICAN PICKLE with Seth Rogen, the supernatural horror film WINCHESTER with Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke; THE GLASS CASTLE alongside Brie Larson; HOLDING THE MAN opposite Guy Pearce; THE DRESSMAKER with Kate Winslet; BROTHER’S NEST; ODD BALL; JESSABELLE; THESE FINAL HOURS; NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN; and SLEEPING BEAUTY.
Previously on TV, Sarah starred as the lead of the 2015 Australian drama series THE BEAUTIFUL LIE, which earned her a Logie Award nomination for Outstanding Actress as well as the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama. Previously, Sarah earned a 2012 AACTA for the television movie SISTERS OF WAR. Her additional television credits include AMC’s anthology drama series SOULMATES from Emmy-winning writer Will Bridges and Brett Goldstein, an episode of BLACK MIRROR, THE SECRET RIVER, THE MOODYS, REDFERN NOW, SPIRITED, BLOOD BROTHERS, PACKED TO THE RAFTERS, MY PLACE, and ALL SAINTS.
A trained actress, Sarah established herself in the world of theatre through her performances in KING LEAR with the State Theatre Company of South Australia; three productions for the Griffin Theatre Company including LOVELY/UGLY: TRANSFORMER, CRESTFALL and S27; alongside Ralph Fiennes in THE MASTER BUILDER at London’s iconic Old Vic Theatre; and, in SAINT JOAN for the Sydney Theatre Company, for which she won Best Female Actor in a Play at Australia’s 2019 Helpmann Awards.
MELANIE LYNSKEY
New Zealand-born and Emmy Nominated actor Melanie Lynskey has become an industry staple, having amassed a plethora of thought-provoking roles in television and film over the course of 30 years.
Currently Lynskey stars in Peacock’s new limited series THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ alongside Jonah Hauer King. She portrays Heather Morris, the writer of the heartbreaking true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov’s time in Auschwitz Birkenau. The show premiered on May 2nd.
Melanie was most recently seen starring opposite Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis in the ten-time Emmy-nominated Showtime series YELLOWJACKETS. She plays Shauna Sadecki, a player on a team of wildly talented high school soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. Melanie has received high praise for her performance, including two Emmy Nominations, a Critic’s Choice Award win for Best Actress in a Drama Series and a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Performance in a New Series. Season 3 begins production this summer.
Lynskey recently starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed THE LAST OF US, a series adaptation of the widely popular 2013 PlayStation video game of the same name. Written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman, Melanie stars alongside Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsay, Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman. The first episode premiered on January 15th, 2023 and drew 4.7M viewers across linear and HBO Max, marking the second-largest debut for the network since 2010. Lynskey picked up a Guest Actress Emmy nomination for her role, which was one of the twenty-four the show was nominated for.
Lynskey’s past film credits include Megan Griffith’s Sadie, Adam Mckay’s DON’T LOOK UP, Stephen Chbosky’s THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, Steven Soderbergh's THE INFORMANT, Tom McCarthy's WIN WIN, Billy Ray's SHATTERED GLASS, Sam Mendes' AWAY WE GO, Jason Reitman's UP IN THE AIR, Justin and Christian Long’s LADY OF THE MANOR, Andy Tennant's EVER AFTER and SWEET HOME ALABAMA, Jamie Babbit’s BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER, Clint Eastwood's FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Joe Swanberg’s HAPPY CHRISTMAS, Angus MacLachlan's GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, Macon Blair’s I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE, and Clea Duvall’s debut feature, THE INTERVENTION, which Melanie won the US Special Jury Prize for Individual Performance at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
GABRIELLE UNION
Gabrielle Union is an actress, producer, best-selling author, and TIME100 cover honoree. Union stars in and executive produced the Netflix romantic comedy THE PERFECT FIND, released in June 2023, which earned her a NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance. She also served as executive producer for Amazon MGM Studios’ THE IDEA OF YOU, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. The film was released on May 2, 2024 to 50 million worldwide viewers, becoming Amazon MGM’s highest romantic-comedy debut of all time. Union also executive produced her BET+ docuseries, MY JOURNEY TO 50, which chronicles her time in Africa celebrating her heritage and 50th birthday. She recently wrapped production on the crime comedy RIFF RAFF alongside Dustin Hoffman, Jennifer Coolidge, and Brian Cox.
Union starred in the A24 drama THE INSPECTION, opposite Jeremy Pope, which premiered to acclaim at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release. For her supporting role as Inez French, she was nominated for a Gotham and Independent Spirit Award. Union is also featured alongside Octavia Spencer in Season 3 of Apple TV+’s TRUTH BE TOLD, as well as in the Walt Disney Pictures animated film STRANGE WORLD, released in 2022.
In 2021, Gabrielle released her children’s book, “Shady Baby”, with her husband Dwyane Wade. The follow up “Shady Baby Feels” will be released in August 2022. Union’s autobiographical books, “We’re Going To Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated and True,” and “You Got Anything Stronger?” both became New York Times best sellers.
In 2018, Union formed her production company I’ll Have Another, with the goal of telling authentic stories that feature the point of views of marginalized communities. I’ll Have Another develops broadcast, cable, and streaming series for television, as well as feature films.
Union pioneers businesses centered around inclusion, accessibility, and affordability. In 2020, she launched her haircare brand “Flawless by Gabrielle Union” and in 2021, Union and her husband co-founded PROUDLY, a baby care brand specially formulated to meet the unique needs of Black and brown babies and their extra-special skin. She is also a co-founder of the healthy children’s snack brand Bitsy’s.
Union’s film and TV highlights include CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, THINK LIKE A MAN, BAD BOYS II, DELIVER US FROM EVA, LOVE & BASKETBALL, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, SHE’S ALL THAT, BRING IT ON, along with BEING MARY JANE and LA’s FINEST
CHARLIE HUNNAM
CHARLIE HUNNAM has captured the attention of audiences and critics in both the United Kingdom and Hollywood with his versatility, talent and charisma.
For seven seasons, Hunnam starred as ‘Jax Teller’ in FX’s SONS OF ANARCHY, the highest rated drama in the network’s history. Since wrapping “Sons,” Hunnam starred in Guy Ritchie’s KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD; James Gray’s LOST CITY OF Z with Sienna Miller and Robert Pattinson; PAPILLON for Michael Noer, alongside Rami Malek and Eve Hewson; and JUNGLELAND for Max Winkler, with Jack O’Connell and Jessica Barden. Most recently, Hunnam worked with Justin Kurzel on THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG and reunited with Guy Ritchie on THE GENTLEMEN. Hunnam made his return to TV as the lead in SHANTARAM for Apple +, which is based on Gregrory David Roberts’ best-selling novel, alongside HLS recipient Rahel Romahn. Most recently he can be seen in Zack Snyder’s REBEL MOON for Netflix which was released in December 2023.
In 2015, Hunnam starred alongside Mia Wasikowski, Jessica Chastain, and Tom Hiddleston in Guillermo del Toro’s CRIMSON PEAK. This was a reunion for Hunnam and del Toro who first worked together on PACIFIC RIM. Prior to this, Hunnam starred in Jordan Roberts’ comedy FRANKIE GO BOOM alongside Chris O’Dowd, Lizzie Caplan and Ron Perlman; and also, in Stefan Ruzowitzky’s DEADFALL with Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde. Together with Elijah Wood, Hunnam appeared in the independent film GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS about the violent world of soccer shenanigans. He then starred opposite Clive Owen in Alfonso Curaon’s apocalyptic drama CHILDREN OF MEN.
Hunnam made his film debut in the Paramount thriller ABANDON and gained attention for his performance in the title role of the big screen adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel NICHOLAS NICKELBY, which received a Golden Globe® nomination for “Best Picture.” He next appeared as ‘Bosie’ in the Miramax feature COLD MOUNTAIN for director Anthony Minghella based on the best-selling novel by Charles Frazier. On the small screen, Hunnam received audience and critical acclaim for his role in the hit British drama, QUEER AS FOLK and the FOX series UNDECLARED for Judd Apatow early on in his career.
In addition to his acting talents, Hunnam is writing and producing numerous film projects.
SIMONE KESSELL
Simone Kessell is an AACTA-nominated actress (2018 Best Supporting Actress, OUTLAWS) who has built a remarkable career in film and television, working with many acclaimed creatives from around the world. Kessell was recently honored as one of Variety and Gold House's 'APIs Up Next in Entertainment.' She currently stars in Lionsgate's hit, Emmy-nominated series YELLOWJACKETS as the adult version of Lottie; her performance was lauded by The New York Times as “a striking debut." YELLOWJACKETS is beloved by critics and audiences alike, and Season 2 is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes.
She will next be seen starring in Apple TV+'s THE LAST FRONTIER opposite Jason Clarke and Paramount+'s HARD HOME. Her recent television credits include Disney+’s immensely popular limited series OBI-WAN KENOBI and Netflix’s THE NIGHT AGENT. Additional credits include OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH for HBO MAX, Netflix’s RECKONING, ABC’s OF KINGS AND PROPHETS, the Steven Spielberg-produced TERRA NOVA for FOX, Australian drama series WELLMANIA, WONDERLAND, ABC’s THE CROSSING, and PINE GAP for Netflix, amongst others.
A close friend of Heath Ledger’s, Kessell was born and raised in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her mother is Māori and her father is of European descent. She currently resides in Sydney, Australia.
CLEOPATRA COLEMAN
Cleopatra Coleman is an Australian actress of Scottish and Jamaican descent who grew up in Byron Bay, New South Wales. Coleman can currently be seen starring in CLIPPED the critically acclaimed FX mini-series about the downfall of billionaire and former Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald Sterling. Cleopatra portrays, 'V. Stiviano' the woman at the center of the scandal, alongside Ed O’Neill as Sterling, Jacki Weaver as ‘Mrs. Sterling’ and Laurence Fishburne, as ‘Doc Rivers.’ The series is streaming in the US on Hulu and internationally on Disney+.
Other recent credits include, Netflix’s REBEL MOON Parts One & Two, from director Zack Snyder, the lead role opposite Lizzy Caplan in COBWEB for Lionsgate and director Brandon Cronenberg’s phycological thriller, INFINITY POOL alongside Alexander Skarsgard and Mia Goth for Neon. She also led Mo McRae's directorial debut, A LOT OF NOTHING, produced by David Oyelowo alongside Y'lan Noel which premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival.
Prior to that, Coleman can be seen in the Hulu original series, DOPESICK alongside Michael Keaton and Rosario Dawson, directed by Barry Levinson. She also starred as the lead of Jim Mackle’s IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON (Trailer) alongside Boyd Holbrook on Netflix, for which she received spectacular reviews. Her romantic comedy THE RIGHT ONE for Lionsgate debuted in February 2021, where she leads alongside Iliza Schlesinger and Nick Thune.
Previously she appeared in the well-received independent comedy, THE ARGUMENT with Dan Fogler from Robert Schwartzman. Coleman is well known for her work in THE LAST MAN OF EARTH opposite Will Forte as well as the female lead in WHITE FAMOUS for Showtime with Jamie Foxx and Jay Pharaoh.
Cleopatra currently resides in New York where she is filming the Netlfix limited series, “Black Rabbit” opposite Jason Bateman and Jude Law.
TERRI TAYLOR
Over the course of her 20-year career in casting, Terri Taylor has worked on over 50 feature films. They’ve ranged from big studio releases to surprise gems from the independent film world. She has worked with acclaimed directors, such as: Steven Spielberg, Jordan Peele, Damien Chazelle and Jon M. Chu.
In 2015, Taylor collaborated with Jordan Peele on his directorial debut film, GET OUT, which garnered both commercial and critical acclaim including 4 Academy Award nominations. The film has been praised by critics for its inspired and unconventional casting choices and earned Taylor an Artios Award nomination from the Casting Society of America. Taylor also cast Jordan Peele’s follow up feature film US for Universal which opened in 2019 to critical acclaim and box office success. Taylor worked with Jon M. Chu for a third time casting CRAZY RICH ASIANS for Warner Bros. The film has been touted as groundbreaking for its diverse storytelling and entirely Asian ensemble cast and earned Taylor an Artios Award for best ensemble cast. In January of 2014 Taylor became the Head of Casting at Blumhouse productions, casting all Blumhouse films including, WHIPLASH (Damien Chazelle, dir.), THE GIFT (Joel Edgerton, dir.), HAPPY DEATH DAY (Christopher Landon, dir.), THE INVISIBLE MAN (Leigh Whannell, dir.), M3GAN (Gerard Johnstone, dir.), and the upcoming SPEAK NO EVIL starring James McAvoy (James Watkins, dir).
Taylor additionally cast the Showtime limited series THE LOUDEST VOICE which earned Russell Crowe a Golden Globe Award for best actor. She is presently the Head of Casting and continues to cast and oversee the company’s extensive film and television slate. Taylor started her casting career as an assistant and then associate to reputed casting director Debra Zane. As an associate, she helped cast SEABISCUIT, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, TRAFFIC, ROAD TO PERDITION, GALAZY QUEST and THE LEGEND OF BAGGAR VANCE, to name a few. Besides her career as an independent casting director, Taylor spent time as a casting consultant for Miramax Films, working on such projects as: ADVENTURELAND, THE DEBT and DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. She also worked as a studio executive for Paramount Pictures where she helped oversee NO STRINGS ATTACHED, TRANSFORMERS, DARK OF THE MOON, SUPER 8, FOOTLOOSE, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL. Taylor has been married for 28 years to Gregg Taylor, a producer at Netflix Animation. They have two children and live in Los Angeles.
First Round Judges
Our casting directors from the US and Australia are the ones responsible for finding our five finalists from hundreds of applications. Meet them now!
ANN FAY (Australia)
Ann Fay is one of Australia’s leading casting agents. As head of Maura Fay Casting she is part of a dynamic, creative and reputable company that has been established for 30 years and is responsible for casting a vast array of projects domestically and internationally
Recent film projects include LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL, POKER FACE with Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth, MERCY ROAD with Luke Bracey, HOTEL MUMBAI with Dev Patel and Nazanin Boniadi, and WINCHESTER with Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke and Sarah Snook. Recent television projects include WELLMANIA with Celeste Barber, THE ARTFUL DODGER with David Thewlis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, THE TOURIST with Jamie Dornan and Danielle McDonald, JACK IRISH with Guy Pearce, THE COMMONS with Joanna Froggatt and David Lyons. THE GLOAMING with Martin Henderson, THE PREACHER with Dominic Cooper and Ruth Negga, SECRET CITY SERIES 2 with Anna Torv for NBC Universal, the Netflix Original series PINE GAP, RETURN TO PARADISE, GOOD COP, BAD COP, GOLD DIGGERS, LAST KING OF THE CROSS, PAPER DOLLS, NCIS SYDNEY, TEN POUND POMS, and the upcoming INVISIBLE BOYS created by Nick Verso.
Fay had the great privilege of auditioning and casting Heath Ledger in the series ROAR when he was only seventeen. This introduced Heath to the American market and marked the start of his swift rise to international stardom and critical praise. He is one of the many actors that became stars through being introduced through the company to exciting projects. She continues to introduce upcoming talent to national and international feature films, television series and pilots through close collaborations with noted industry leaders.
Fay is a patron of the Heath Ledger Scholarship and a returning judge.
AMANDA MITCHELL (Australia)
Originally from Singapore, Amanda worked in the film and television industry for four years before migrating to Australia.
She has worked on hundreds of hours of Australian and international television, which most recently includes two seasons of Netflix’s highly acclaimed reboot of HEARTHBREAK HIGH, Stan & Sundance NOW’S TOTALLY COMPLETELY FINE (starring Thomasin McKenzie), Lingo Pictures’ PROSPER for Stan & Roku and Northern Pictures’ comedy series AUSTIN for the ABC. Internationally, she has cast three seasons of NBC’s drama LA BREA, as well as two seasons of NBC’s award-winning comedy YOUNG ROCK.
Amanda was the Australian casting director for Marvel’s highly successful SHANG-CHI & THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (dir. Destin Daniel Cretton) and THOR LOVE & THUNDER (dir. Taika Waititi) and Legendary’s GODZILLA X KONG (dir. Adam Wingard). She has just wrapped working with casting legend, Sarah Finn, on the new Shane Black film PLAY DIRTY and Frank E. Flowers’ THE BLUFF.
Amanda also frequently performs consultancy work on international projects filming out of Australia, conducting extensive searches, most recently including: House of the Dragon (HBO), Yellowjackets (Showtime / eOne), Serpent Queen (STARZ), and Tell Me Lies (HULU).
She is about to start working on the third season of Netflix’s Heartbreak High, and returns as a judge of the HLS.
ALYSSA WEISBERG (US)
Alyssa Weisberg has been passionate about all things casting for over 32 years.
Past Feature Film projects include STAR WARS EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX, STAR WARS EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENDS, GAME OVER MAN, FUN MUM DINNER directed by AiF member Alethea Jones, STAR TREK BEYOND, SUPER 8, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL, STAR TREK AND CLOVERFIELD, to name a few. Aside from casting the pilot episode of LOST, for which she won the 2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Dramatic Series, recent TV credits include the AiF member Trent O’Donnell & Patrick Brammall series NO ACTIVITY, the Paramount+/Funny Or Die series GUILTY PARTY starring Kate Beckinsale and CHAD starring Nasim Pedrad. Current TV projects include season 3 of the Netflix series GINNY & GEORGIA and the Netflix/CBC/APTN series NORTH OF NORTH, which has just wrapped filming in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Alyssa is a returning judge to the Scholarship.
ANOUSHA ZARKESH (Australia)
AACTA Award and Casting Guild Award (CGA) winner, Anousha Zarkesh has been casting for over 25yrs now specialising in high quality Australian TV and film projects. Based in Sydney, her casting agency has gained a reputation for championing diversity and inclusion and producing internationally award winning work. Some of her recent productions include: THE NEW BOY, SHAYDA, THE STRANGER (Netflix), ONE NIGHT (Motive, Fifth Season, Paramount), FIREBITE (AMC), CLASS OF 07 (Amazon), TOTAL CONTROL 1,2, 3, MYSTERY ROAD Series 1, 2 and 3, RAKE, REDFERN NOW, CLEVERMAN, THE PRINCIPAL, INXS NEVER TEAR US APART, CATCHING MILAT, PETER BROCK TODAY, 800 WORDS, BLACK COMEDY, JASPER JONES, HOUNDS OF LOVE, MANNY LEWIS, ALEX AND EVE.
Anousha has been nominated and won numerous AACTA Casting Awards and Casting Guild Awards over the years for SHAYDA, THE NEW BOY, THE STRANGER, WE ARE STILL HERE, HIGH GROUND, BLCAK COMEDY, MYSTERY ROAD, TOTAL CONTROL, SWEET COUNTRY, etc.
She is currently Vice President of the Casting Guild of Australia (CGA),Vice President of Screen Illawarra and an active member of Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the CGA. Anousha returns as a judge for the HLS.
BARBARA McCARTHY (US)
McCarthy is currently the Casting Consultant for BuzzFeed Studios and previously was a Casting Executive at Paramount Pictures for nine years, along with currently being an independent Casting Director.
During her tenure at Paramount, Barbara supervised dozens of the studio's films while also working on in-house casting credits including VANILLA SKY, ELIZABETHTOWN and HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS. McCarthy left the studio to return to her indie casting roots in 2010. Her post-Paramount casting highlights include the Sundance Festival Competition Selections: THE SPECTACULAR NOW, FOR A GOOD TIME CALL…, CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER, THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT, and SUMMER OF 84. She has also cast major studio releases such as THE DUFF, BLENDED, PIXELS, MOTHER’S DAY and FIVE FEET APART. She expanded into television with the series, TIM & ERIC’S BEDTIME STORIES, FINDING CARTER, and the Emmy winning mini-series THE KENNEDYS. She also worked with fellow AiF member, the director, Elissa Down on the Netflix feature FEEL THE BEAT. She has done multiple movies for streaming including THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES 1& 2, THE TALL GIRL 1 & 2, and SITTING IN BARS WITH CAKE. Earlier this year, she ventured into producing on the upcoming indie SOVEREIGN starring Nick Offerman, Thomas Mann, Martha Plimpton and Jacob Tremblay. While she continues consulting on all BuzzFeed Studios features, she also is set to cast the upcoming UNTITLED CAMERON CROWE PROJECT feature later this year. McCarthy has been a long time judge of the Heath Ledger Scholarship.
JASON WOOD (US)
Since joining A+E Networks in 2010, Wood has been a guiding influence behind casting for A+E Studio and Lifetime Network. At Lifetime he has led the casting on over 300 original movies and mini-series with award-winning like such as Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angela Bassett, Queen Latifah and Niecy Nash. On the studio side he oversaw casting on YOU which aired on Lifetime before streaming on Netflix, ROOTS which was nominated for an Emmy for Best Casting, and other popular series produced by A+E Studios. Additionally, he cast the hit Netflix series SWEET MAGNOLIAS and consulted on VIRGIN RIVIER. He is a 5x nominee and 2x winner of the CSA’s Artios Award for Outstanding Casting as well as a member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences. Jason is a long time judge for the Heath Ledger Scholarship.
J. MCALARY (US)
Emmy and Artios Nominee McAlary, CSA has collaborated with some of the most acclaimed directors in Hollywood, including Clint Eastwood, Mike Nichols, and Alexander Payne. McAlary gained experience as a casting executive under the tutelage of Terri Taylor, former Head of Casting at Paramount Pictures, and has worked extensively both within the studio system and independently.
Her notable work includes Showtime's THE L WORD: GENERATION Q, Netflix’s TRINKETS from creator Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith starring Brianna Hildebrand; and Hulu's anthology series INTO THE DARK produced by Blumhouse TV. She also has a strong presence in the features world, with credits including THEM THAT FOLLOW, an official U.S. Dramatic Competition selection at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival starring Academy Award winner Olivia Colman; Netflix's RATTLESNAKE by Aussie writer/director Zac Hilditch starring Carmen Ejogo; Logan Marshall-Green's directorial debut, ADOPT A HIGHWAY, starring Ethan Hawke; 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE for Warner Bros.; PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION for Paramount; HARDCORE HENRY for STX and WELCOME TO THE BLUMHOUSE, a collection of seven feature-length thrillers for Amazon/Blumhouse TV. J. returns as a judge in the 2024 Heath Ledger Scholarship
GAIL GOLDBERG (US)
Gail Goldberg is a renowned casting director with extensive credits across both film and television. Beginning her career as a feature casting associate at 20th Century Fox, she went on to serve as the Vice President of Feature Casting for Disney/Touchstone, casting THE PRINCESS DIARIES I and II, THE MUPPETS, and notably, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, with Heath Ledger. While at Disney Gail also oversaw the casting of over 50 films including PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 1-4, NATIONAL TREASURE, MIRACLE, and SWEET HOME ALABAMA.
Gail’s TV work includes THE CROSSING and WHEN WE RISE for ABC. A long-time collaborator with Seth MacFarlane, Gail has cast THE ORVILLE for Fox/Hulu and is currently working on MacFarlane’s series TED for Peacock. This is Gail’s first time judging the Heath Ledger Scholarship
DANNY LONG (Australia)
Danny has worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years, establishing Danny Long Casting in 2010. She is known for conducting wide searches within a plethora of communities, casting film, television, and TV commercials domestically and internationally.
Recent credits include: TENZING (upcoming), MOANA (Live Action Film), TWO UGLY PEOPLE, SOUVENIR, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, LATECOMERS, THE BIG DOG and EDEN, to name a few.
At the 2023 CGA awards Danny was recognised by her peers winning: Best Casting in a Short Film for WILFRID GORDON MCDONALD PARTRIDGE, Best Casting in a Community TVC for QANTAS IT FEELS LIKE HOME AGAIN, and Achievement in Casting for LATECOMERS. This is Danny’s first year judging the Scholarship.
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